Thunder In Our Hearts
by hellokaytee
Summary: When celebration is due and intoxication is inevitable, Harry Potter soon finds himself immersed in the most surreptitious non-relationship at Hogwarts.
1. Chapter 1

Thunder In Our Hearts

**Chapter One**

The Gryffindor common room was quiet that Tuesday evening. The walls were lined in a warm gold glow and the air smelled of parchment and chocolate frogs. It was a comfortable temperature, warm with a nice breeze coming from the window, beside which sat Dean Thomas and his sketch pad. Harry was just opening his Astronomy notebook to begin the evening's homework when he noticed a small piece of parchment fall on to the desk in front of him.

_Harry,  
We've been dating for almost three months now and I think it's about time we took advantage of that.  
Come find me at 11 o'clock on Saturday.  
I want us to be each other's first._

Harry smiled at the tidy handwriting, no doubt the act of a certain red-headed female. It was true, three months seemed a long time to wait, and the prospect of the two of them losing their virginity to each other was to be expected at their age.

"Getting excited over an Astronomy lesson, Harry?" Seamus teased, noticing Harry's uplifted mood.

"You know constellations turn him on, Finnigan," Ron joked with a smile as he looked up from his game of wizard chess with Hermione. Seamus let out a warm Irish laugh and approached the desk that Harry had set up to study at. His eyes scanned the work area until he saw the small note from Ginny.

"A love letter! Oh, Harry, how sweet!" Seamus exclaimed, snatching the note off the desk with a grin. His expression changed from mischievous to shocked as he read Ginny's precise handwriting. Harry leaned back in his chair with a self-satisfied look on his face.

"What does it say?" asked Dean. Seamus ignored him; he was now grinning foolishly at Harry.

"You lucky bastard!" Seamus exclaimed, punching Harry playfully on the shoulder. Ron's attempt to see the note for himself was cleverly intercepted by Hermione moving her knight an illegal amount of squares.

"Hermione, _I told you_! Knights move in an L shape, three by two! You can't move there!" he said for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"Oh, sorry, Ron, I'll try to pay more attention," Hermione said innocently, playing dumb.

"So, Harry, what does the note say?" Ron grinned, raising his eyebrows at his best friend.

"King to E5!" Hermione exclaimed in a panic. The chess piece she called upon looked at her with a raised marble eyebrow and crossed arms. She knew that the king could only move one square at a time, but she was hoping Ron would correct her again instead of reading the note. If Hermione's suspicions were correct, the note would be about what Ginny had told her the night before, and that if Ron saw it he would be very angry indeed. Ron looked at her, sighed, and turned back to Harry.

"I swear she's never going to learn."

"I'm just rubbish. Which one is the bishop, again?" Hermione was trying desperately, now.

"Look, Hermione. I appreciate you pretending to be rubbish at chess to stall and everything, but I'll have to tell him sooner or later. He deserves to know." Harry smiled at her, but she still looked worried.

"I deserve to know what?" Ron asked impatiently.

"He's gonna bonk your sister," Seamus called out. Harry glared at him.

"He's doing _what_?" Ron stood up.

"She wants him to be her first time," Hermione cut in, touching Ron's wrist in attempt to calm him down.

"And he actually thinks he's _allowed_ to be that?" Ron spat, pulling his arm away from Hermione's touch.

"Ron, I never said I was going to, she just asked-"

"Oh, so she's not good enough for you, or something?" Ron asked, sounding offended.

"Ron! Calm down, can we talk about this?" Harry raised his voice. He stood up, but he was still smaller than Ron.

"I swear to God if you hurt her..." The threat was venom on his lips.

"You'll have permission to feed me to the giant squid. Do you want it in writing?" Harry offered, smiling. Ron relaxed.

"Don't think I won't do it." He smiled.

"Never did underestimate you, Weasley." Harry smiled back.

"Er, Ron?" Hermione squeaked. She was staring fixedly at the chess board. "It's your turn. I don't think you can move, though."

"What? Why wouldn't I be able to move? Here, I'll just..." Ron's jaw dropped. "Merlin..."

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"It's checkmate," Ron replied, astounded. Hermione winked at Harry.

/

"So, Harry... since it's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up I think it's only fair that the five of us go out for drinks. You know, celebrate our successes. Or, your successes, with Ginny I mean. I've got a big bottle of Firewhisky in my trunk. It'll be just us mates. What d'you say?" Seamus asked openly to the dorm that night. The boys were all busy at the time – Harry had just brushed his teeth and spat out the window, Ron was sorting through his chocolate frog cards, Dean was fixing up his sketch from earlier, and Neville was reading a book – but all four of them stopped what they were doing and smirked at the proposal.

"Sounds brilliant." Harry said with a beaming smile.

"I'm in," said Ron. "I've got some mead left over from the Christmas holidays; nicked it when Mum wasn't looking."

"Ace!" Seamus smiled. "Dean, Neville?"

"Yeah, I've got some Ogden's I can bring. Tastes shit though," Dean laughed. Neville looked up from his book.

"I haven't got anything. You know my gran, she'd murder me. But I think Hogsmeade sounds good. And with the lot you've got, Merlin knows you'll need someone to look after you. I'm in," Neville said.

"So it's settled, then!" Seamus grinned. "Friday night it is, boys."

/

Friday afternoon approached much faster than Harry had anticipated. One minute he was writing and handing in a Transfiguration essay, the next he was stowing a bottle of Firewhisky in his book bag. He didn't see much of Ginny, either. Hermione said it was because she wanted everything to be perfect for Saturday. No awkward discussions or petty fights, only spontaneity and surprise. Harry just pretended he understood so that Hermione would focus on helping him with his History of Magic notes rather than discussing his relationship with Ginny.

"Are we ready to go, then?" Dean asked when Harry buckled the final strap of his book bag.

"Looks like it. Let us be off, then!" Ron called out jovially.

Between the time that the boys met up with Hermione and Luna and the moment they entered the cobblestone town, Harry found it very hard to secrete the sloshing bottle that hit his thigh every time he took a step. The girls, however, seemed to take no notice.

"Luna and I are going to go have a look in Gladrags before it closes. I trust you boys will manage on your own?" Hermione smiled, grabbing Luna's hand and pulling her off down the street without waiting for a response.

The boys made their way to Zonko's Joke Shop, not so eager as to bring out the alcohol before dark. They browsed around to kill time, shooting each other with miniature water guns and testing out new products before it was finally safe to go to their usual booth in the back corner of The Three Broomsticks.

"Do you think we'll get caught?" asked Neville, sliding onto the rubbery upholstery of the booth.

"Who fucking cares? Not I. Well, as long as I'm tanked before that happens," Ron replied, eliciting laughter from the others.

"So let's just order drinks and fill up the empty glasses with our own when we're finished?" Dean suggested. Everyone nodded before Seamus signalled the waitress.

"Hi, yes. Butterbeers all around for my mates, Rosmerta. Tonight we're celebrating," Seamus ordered smoothly. Madam Rosmerta simply rolled her eyes and smiled before heading off to prepare the drinks.

Harry took this time to take in his surroundings. The dust in the air was illuminated by the low hanging ceiling lamps and the cadence of a quiet tune could be heard throbbing in the background. There was a couple sitting in a booth to the left, a wizard and a witch who looked like they were in their mid thirties. The girl looked thoroughly disturbed as her company slurped down an entire tankard in one go. It was a blind date, no doubt. To their right was a wall of moving photographs. Each of them seemed to depict the pub in a different year, clearly presenting the history of the place. In the very front of the pub, near the door, a girl sat by herself. She did not look fazed or upset, but instead content. She was sipping at her drink casually, appreciating her surroundings. She reminded Harry of Ginny, carrying on without anyone's approval. It made him think of why he was at the pub in the first place, how lucky he was to have the chance to be with someone as brave and independent as her. He smiled to himself before he noticed that the drinks had arrived and he was the only one not holding one.

"To Harry Potter! The Boy Who Lived only to become a man!" Seamus toasted, lifting his drink high in the air.

"To Harry Potter!" the others called out, clattering their drinks together in the middle of the table before each swallowing down a generous amount of butterbeer.

/

At least two hours had passed and the boys were adequately drunk. Even Neville was seen taking shots. Seamus had kissed Dean in a drunken stupor, Ron talked about Hermione's hands for a good twenty minutes, and Harry tried to lick his nose on more than one occasion. It was a wonder that nobody in the pub had said anything.

"Harry, Harry, Harry. Let me tell you something, yeah?" Ron stammered, touching Harry's arm. "You be good to my sister 'cause I know she really likes you. Okay? Be nice and be happy. We should do this more often," he said, unable to conceal his laughter. Harry nodded twice before standing up and announcing that he had to use the toilets. Neville stood up and let him out of the booth before sucking down another shot.

The weighted bathroom door felt heavy against Harry's numb palms. He squinted against the florescence of the bathroom lights and immediately walked over to the urinals. When he had relieved himself he looked at his reflection in the mirror. His clothes were slightly ruffled, there were bags under his eyes, and his hair was messier than ever, but he was smiling. His head buzzed, feeling lighter than air like a helium balloon swelling past the size of his skull. Harry ran his hands through his hair and headed for the door, only to be cut off by somebody walking into the bathroom rather than out.

"Looking rough, Potter," Draco Malfoy said as though it were the highest form of amusement to see Potter a mess.

"Looking stupid, Malfoy. Always stupid," Harry slurred, attempting to push past the other.

"Hold on. Are you _drunk_, Potter?" said Malfoy. He laughed and shoved Harry hard in the chest, causing him to stumble back towards the sinks.

"Sod off, Malfoy."

"Not a chance."

Draco stood tall and approached Harry. Harry met him in the middle. The two stared violently at each other for a few moments before Draco pushed Harry lightly in the shoulder, more as a challenge than an expression of antagonism. Harry took the bait and pushed back, harder this time, until he found himself pinned to the wall, nose to nose with Draco.

"Watch yourself, Potter," Draco threatened. Harry was so close he could smell a scent similar to antiseptic on Draco's breath. He forced Draco off of him, only to find that he made a huge mistake in doing so. Draco's eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of Harry's trousers.

"You're..." Malfoy trailed off, his eyes moving up Harry's body to his eyes.

"Oh, so _what_? Going to tell your father, are you?" asked Harry.

"No," Draco said simply, watching Harry take a step forward.

"Well then what _are_ you going to do?"

Draco remained stationary for a moment and looked as though he were seriously contemplating something. Before he knew it, Harry was being pulled into a bathroom stall and the next moments happened faster than he could control them. He remembered Draco pushing him face first into the stall before tugging the shirt out of his unbuttoned trousers. He remembered unbuckling his own belt and then feeling his insides be torn apart in a way he had never experienced before. He remembered wondering if this was supposed to be Draco's way of hurting him, and he remembered concluding that Draco did not understand true punishment if this was his method. He remembered the moment when feeling pain and confusion turned into nothing but a blur of unexplainable pleasure, and as Draco drove into him, deeper each time, he remembered being unable to stop the small noises coming from the back of his throat. His throbbing head buzzed harder still, the alcohol no doubt amplifying his senses. And it was over as fast as it had begun, both boys riding out their culminations together in an impossibly intimate motion. When it all had come to an end and his knees started to shake, Draco rested his head in the crook of Harry's neck. Harry remembered feeling unbearably empty as Draco pulled out of him, where only a moment before his head was screaming _yes, yes, yes,_ and now all it could say was _no, no, no_. After hearing the click of the stall open, and the screech and thud of a weighted door shutting, Harry knew he was alone. The only thing he could find the strength to do was pull up his trousers and exit the stall. His whole body shook as he pulled open the heavy bathroom door.

"Merlin, mate. You look totally _shagged_. What took you so long? Ginny didn't get impatient, did she?" Seamus laughed, putting his arm around Dean. Harry shook his head.

"Spewed. Can we go back to the castle?" he asked, sounding desperate.

"Yeah, o' course," Neville said quietly, helping Ron out of the booth and grabbing Harry's bag for him.

For the entire walk back to the castle, the boys could not stop talking about how much fun they had, when all Harry could think was what a total disaster it had become. His thoughts were racing, spinning, recapping what had happened in the bathroom and Harry tried to ignore the potent sting in his backside. When the boys finally climbed the infinite stairs up to the common room and eventually their dorm, there was only one thing running through Harry's mind.

_How was he going to hide this from Ginny?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Minutes seemed to pass faster than the falling rain the next day. It was one o'clock before Harry had even blinked awake. With the help of a pepperup potion, Harry to felt at full health in no time; however his guilty conscience was far from cleared. Last night's events were on a constant loop in his head, each time as vivid as the last. He recapped everything: the intoxicating scent of Draco's cologne, the burning sensation in his stomach, the throaty sounds he couldn't help but make, and the sickening fact that he enjoyed every last detail. It was difficult not to hate himself for something so sudden yet so significant.

The evening arrived earlier than Harry had hoped it would. It was 10:45pm and Harry hadn't even considered where to look for Ginny. The Gryffindor Common Room seemed like the obvious first place to look. Of course, that would be the last place Ginny would choose to meet. Harry checked multiple locations such as the greenhouses, several deserted classrooms, the library, and finally the third floor corridor before realizing that none of which sounded ideal for such an occasion. At that point Harry had drawn a blank. Unable to think of where Ginny could be, and fearful that he would not find her in time, Harry walked up as many stairs as he could before noticing something he should have thought of a long time ago. The seventh floor. The Room of Requirement. How did it not occur to him sooner?

Harry rushed to the blank wall across from Barnabas the Barmy and paced three times while concentrating on the note Ginny had sent him so many days ago. Surely enough when he opened his tightly shut eyes, a large wooden door appeared on the wall in front of him. He reached for the door handle and pulled it open; he was stunned to see just how much smaller the room before him was compared to the room he used the last time for a DA meeting. It was cozy, and no larger than his dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. To the left was a fireplace, crackling softly against the night's quiet hum. From the ceiling there hung a crystal chandelier, lit with many small candles and gold-tinted gems. In the middle of the room was a king sized bed, upon which sat Ginny.

Her long, red hair fell elegantly over her sharp collarbone, and her skin was flawless, apart from the occasional freckle. Harry felt his jaw tighten as his eyes fell upon her light yellow night slip and how pale her skin looked in comparison. He stared into her adoring eyes and felt a strong mixture of love and guilt and sadness all at once. She was so beautiful, so kind. She deserved so much better, but Harry was far too selfish to let her go just like that. So he climbed upon the bed and kissed her lips, kissed her neck and pushed her gently onto her back. And then he took her just like she'd asked. It was slow and affectionate. It was contained and comfortable. It was everything a first time should be, only it wasn't Harry's first time. Harry had fucked everything up. He had failed the test of faithfulness and as a result was stripped of his virginity in a quick, meaningless, not to mention humiliatingly pleasurable fuck with Draco Malfoy of all people.

As Ginny's eyes closed and she let out a delicate sigh, Harry's heart twisted into a stiff knot. He felt her smooth fingertips dig into his back as she pushed against him, begging silently for him to go deeper. And he did. He read her purrs and gasps and obeyed her every unspoken order, because he was just too fragile to break any more rules.

/

Much to Harry's contentment, he and Ginny were seeing each other quite often over the next few days. All of their encounters snogging between classes and holding hands in the corridors made him _almost_ forget about Friday night entirely. There were certain occasions when Harry would see Draco out of the corner of his eye and feel his gut wretch, or hear him taunting Ron or Hermione and would want to say something, were he not terrified of so much as speaking to Malfoy. Harry avoided him like the plague, and it worked for the most part, so long as Draco kept his distance.

One evening as Harry sat in the Great Hall and poked at his mashed potatoes he couldn't help but notice Draco's eyes on him. At the time he was sitting hip-to-hip with Ginny; her hand on his thigh and his arm around her waist. Draco's expression was just like the one he wore before he had pulled Harry into that stall: contemplating, nervous, insecure. Harry avoided eye contact at all costs, but it was like trying not to look at a viper about to strike. He felt like if he looked away he would miss something. So in a single second, he pulled his eyes away from a Ravenclaw girl sipping her pumpkin juice and found Draco's eyes. When their gazes met Harry felt as though he wouldn't be able to look away even if he tried. Draco's eyes narrowed further, scrutinizing Harry, dissecting him with his stare. And then Ginny's fingers began to massage the inside of Harry's thigh, first gently and then harder, ascending up his leg until Harry could no longer compete in the staring contest. He bit his lip and looked down at his lap. Ginny simply smiled mischievously and kissed his cheek before pulling him by the hand out of the Great Hall and up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.

"Dilligrout," Harry panted to the Fat Lady, after rushing up the stairs hand-in-hand with Ginny. The portrait gave a sly wink before opening up to grant access to the common room. It was then that Ginny pushed Harry out of the way and quickly climbed through the portrait hole before shouting, "Race you!"

Harry beamed foolishly and rushed right behind her, managing to reach the stairs to the boy's dormitories before her. His warm laugh filled the stairwell as he jumped two stairs at a time, Ginny not far behind him. By the time he pulled open the large door she had caught up, bolting into the room and throwing herself onto Harry's bed before pumping a fist into the air and laughing. Harry ruffled his hair as he drew near her.

"Hey, slow poke." She teased with what Harry thought of as an adorable smirk.

"Hey, cheater." Harry grinned back. Ginny gasped in what seemed to be mock-offense.

"I'll have you know I won fair and square!" She claimed, pulling Harry by the collar onto the bed with her.

"Right." Harry said, smiling as he pressed his lips onto hers. As Ginny put a hand on either side of his face and drew him in closer, she didn't seem to care so much about who won the race anymore. With a bit of awkward rearranging, Harry was sitting up against the headboard with Ginny straddling his lap. Their faces only broke apart when Ginny pulled off Harry's shirt as a result of impatience regarding how long it took to unbutton. The next moments quickly became intimate as their laughter and kissing became panting and whimpers. With a nauseating jolt to his stomach, Harry visualized that same stare that Draco had given him in the Great Hall not even an hour before. Harry pushed back against Ginny's hips, digging just as deep as her, hungry and desperate to push Draco's familiar look from his mind. Though even as she rode his lap and he kissed her jaw, he was unsuccessful, and that gaze still haunted him.

/

Later that night, Harry found himself wandering the corridors of the school after hours, trying to clear his head of anything that reminded him of Draco. He stared out the windows as he passed them, seeing the moon mirrored over the black and occasionally his reflection by torchlight. The lower he descended into the castle, the fewer windows he saw until eventually there were none at all. He knew then that he had reached the dungeons.

He continued walking through the dungeon corridors, though paying little attention, and found himself crashing head on into a tall blonde boy with sharp features.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Harry Potter, 'The Chosen One'." said Draco, who appeared to have recovered from the collision rather swiftly. "How's the girlfriend, Potter? Is she hearing wonderful stories about your adventures in Hogsmeade?"

"Sod off, Malfoy." Harry spat with narrow eyes. He made an attempt to continue walking, but he found that the hand pushing on his chest prevented him from doing so.

"Don't touch me." Harry threatened, pulling out his wand.

"Funny, you didn't seem to mind the last time we saw each other-"

"Impedimenta!"

"Protego!" Draco shouted immediately afterwards, causing Harry's jinx to ricochet off what appeared to be an invisible shield and knock him onto his back. He scrambled up to his feet quickly to face Draco once more before hearing a voice from around the corner rapidly approaching.

"...and a good dinner you'll have. Isn't that right Mrs. Norris?" said Filch, appearing to have been talking to his cat.

Harry and Draco looked at each other with wide eyes, and completely forgetting about the argument, starting to search for a place to hide. Seeing no other options, Harry sighed miserably and pulled a sheet of shiny fabric out of his book bag.

"Get under here." Harry said irritably. He knew that if he hadn't hidden Draco as well, his cover would have been blown regardless. As the two boys huddled under the invisibility cloak, Filch walked by, sniffing the air flagrantly as he did so. The limited amount of space under the cloak made it inevitable for their bodies to be touching, and as Harry pressed closer to Draco to avoid Filch scraping the fabric of what appeared to be thin air, he felt something firm on the inside of Draco's thigh. Instead of flushing with embarrassment, Draco grabbed the back of Harry's head and kissed him hard on the mouth, knowing that he would be unable to resist in their current situation. Harry attempted to pull away from the kiss with as much furtiveness as he could muster, despite his mind screaming to latch onto Draco and never let go. He pretended to resist the kiss until Filch was out of sight, and then punched Draco's stomach as hard as he could. With Draco doubled over, the opportunity to escape was impending. Harry quickly disappeared under the cloak and ran after Filch, giving the uncloaked Draco a safer getaway. As he rounded the corner at the end of the corridor he looked back, seeing Draco bring his fingers to his lips and walk off in the opposite direction.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **

**I'm so sorry for the delay, dear readers. I've been out of the country and away from a computer for a week, dying to get back to you and finish chapter three. But alas, here it is. I hope you all like it.**

**Fenrirsboy: **Thanks so much for your review! I agree with you 100%, and was planning to go deeper into Draco's mind about it anyway, but your comment encouraged me to do so even more. I'm glad you like the story, thanks for your advice!

**phoenix217: **I can't thank you enough! I've never had such a great compliment to my writing as yours, and I felt very compelled to continue writing after reading your review. I'm so glad you appreciate the Ginny scenes. I feel that even though Draco and Harry are my favourite pairing, that JKR was ultimately right to put Harry and Ginny together and that she should at least be somewhat in the picture for this fanfiction. I look forward to your opinion when the story is finished :)

**HPDM beta: **Thank you! I'll be posting as often as I can in the future, and I'm very glad you like it so far.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Chapter Three**

The ceiling of the Great Hall was enchanted just like any day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; however, on this afternoon in particular it was curiously cloudless for a day so late in November. As Harry stared up at the clear blue sky, he found himself wondering where Draco Malfoy had gone last night after their encounter. Perhaps he went right back to Slytherin territory, where he slept without a thought of Harry in his mind. Perhaps he was out in the corridors past curfew for a reason... perhaps he continued doing whatever it was he was doing before Harry bumped into him. Both options seemed as plausible as the next; the only think Harry knew was that, lately, he was thinking about Malfoy more often than he was thinking about Ginny, or anything else for that matter.

"Hey Harry, look at this!" Ron exclaimed, planting himself in the seat across from Harry and slapping a tarnished-looking copy of _The Daily Prophet_ onto the table. "It says here that the Ministry's been broken into again."

"I bet Scrimgeour's in a right state." said Harry, pulling the paper towards him.

"I reckon it's a scam though, innit? I mean, twice in a year, even with all the high security? My guess is it's a diversion," said Ron in a hushed voice, leaning in as he spoke.

"You mean you think the Ministry's hiding something?" asked Harry with a tilted brow.

"Well, don't you? This article's about as informative as one of Trelawney's predictions. S'got no details, does it?" Ron pointed out, encouraging Harry to read the article at long last.

_This week is troubled with the misfortune of another Ministry Break-In as new Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, tries to adapt to his new duties. Investigations continue, however __it seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles will be far from over until the Minister is able to live up to his expectations. More information on the subject matter will be published as soon as it is acquired. _

"I reckon you're right, Ron. Seems like something's up. Why would they post this article at all if they weren't trying to distract from something else?" said Harry, still skimming his eyes over the paper.

"Exactly. They wouldn't. They'd at least get Skeeter to make something up if they weren't afraid people would look into it and prove the facts wrong. I'm going to go tell Hermione. See you in Charms, yeah?"

"Yeah, 'course," said Harry. Just as he handed Ron back the newspaper, he saw Draco Malfoy's eyes on him. Draco's eyes flashed before he stood up and exited the Great Hall in a bit of a fluster. Though Harry did not understand why, he found himself following Malfoy out of the enormous doors to the Hall and down a rather vacant looking corridor.

"Malfoy," Harry's strained voice reverberated off the pale stone walls.

"Potter," Draco replied, ceasing to walk but not turning around.

"A word?" asked Harry. Even after he swallowed a mouthful of saliva his throat felt dry.

"Of course," he said hesitantly, looking over his shoulder. Draco seemed equally as nervous as Harry, who seemed to be blind to the diffidence.

"I'd like for you to stay away from me – er – Ginny. And me," Harry stammered. Mentally, he found himself bashing his forehead into a brick wall. Draco paused before speaking.

"I'd enjoy nothing more than to do so. In fact; I thought I was doing rather well. I mean, unless you insist on following me down hallways for the duration of this restraining order. Then things may become difficult." Draco stated simply, regaining his composure. Harry winced as he heard Draco say 'restraining order'. He hadn't realized how accurate that description was until he had heard it out loud. What was he supposed to say to that?

"Er – Good. I'll be leaving now." Harry spluttered. Again, his head mentally collided with a brick wall.

"...And I'll be vomiting." Draco rolled his eyes at Harry's downright incompetence. He continued to the dungeons with a pinching sensation in his abdomen. Even through all of the clumsiness of Harry's speech, it seemed like he genuinely wanted Draco out of the picture. He was happy with his girlfriend, and Draco had gone and taken advantage of him. Harry had appeared to enjoy their encounter, but really there was no way Draco could tell with Potter's obviously drunken state. He could have badly hurt Harry for all he knew. He left before he could consider any possible complications.

"Shit." Draco whispered as he felt his feet become heavy and his collar too tight. He made his way to the Slytherin common room, faster now, unbuttoning the top of his shirt all the while. Even as he tugged on his lapel and tie to give allow his neck fresh air, he still felt strangled. And then the tears pricked his eyes like sewing needles. His nose stung and his ears burned, his mouth was drier than ever and he had no idea what to do. Sparing himself the difficult task of getting through the common room unseen, he collapsed beside a statue of a miserable-looking gargoyle. What if he really had hurt Harry? It made sense, seeing as he was practically telling Draco to back off. Draco had gone too far, and now it was like first year all over again. He knew that there in the bathroom of the Three Broomsticks, there in that moment of contemplation, he should have walked away. He should have thought long term. But he didn't, and now he was reduced to tears in a hallway underneath the Black Lake. The goddamn squid could have devoured him for all he cared, for Draco Malfoy had felt remorse like never before.

/

"Ginny, I'm sorry, but I really, really don't want to hear about what you did last night. Harry's my best friend, and you're practically my sister." Hermione groaned and closed her encyclopaedia-sized book.

"Your sister?" Ron asked, astonished. "Wouldn't that make me your brother?"

"Well, I suppose. Is that a problem?" Hermione asked with her shaped brows raised.

"I mean... It's kind of gross, isn't it? Me and you, siblings?" Ron stuttered.

"Don't see the trouble; I'm always at your house for holidays and things. We're practically family anyway." Hermione smirked, catching on to Ron's point. He winced.

"Ugh, stop. We are in no way related, nor will we ever be. We're friends, that's all," Ron stated.

"I still don't see the issue, Ronald." Hermione grinned inwardly, winking at Ginny and giving Ron shivers.

"Ginny, come here a moment?" asked a smirking Harry, who had just appeared in the Courtyard at the edge of the tree they had been sitting under.

"Yes?" said Ginny once she had stood up and approached Harry.

"Let's walk. It's just, I could use a snog right now, and I heard from Dean Thomas you're pretty good at it." He teased, lightly nudging her shoulder with his. Ginny covered her face with her hands and laughed in embarrassment.

"That was so long ago!" she laughed, dropping her hands to grab one of Harry's and rolling her eyes. "Dean was quite a good kisser though." She added in a whisper.

"Better than me?" Harry teased, giving her hand a squeeze. She was silent for a moment before she blushed and kissed Harry's cheek.

"Race you to the lake!" she yelled, dashing down the plains of dewy grass without another word.

"Hey! Wait! You're joking, right?" Harry called out desperately before chasing after her.

/

Harry and Ginny dwelled on the shiny black pebbles of the beach until dark, missing dinner to watch the sun go down. It wasn't until the beginnings of starlight could be seen before they headed back to the castle to study.

"Ugh, I'm starved." Ginny moaned into her Charms book. "We should have gone to the feast, Harry."

"Go to the kitchens, then, if you're so hungry." Harry replied, slightly put out that Ginny would have rather gone to eat with everyone else than spend time with him.

"Why don't _you_ go to the kitchens?" Ginny spat.

"I'm not hungry." said Harry. Ginny dropped her quill.

"I meant for _me_. You know the house elves better than I do. They like you more,"

"I have to write this essay for Potions. Snape'll kill me if I have another late assignment. You'll be fine." said Harry without looking up from his parchment.

"_Harry_! I'm asking you to do something for me! Why is that so hard to understand?" Ginny shrieked.

"Ginny, please. Just go get some food and I'll help you with your class work when you get back."

"I don't need your help." hissed Ginny, muttering something that sounded like '_tosser_' under her breath. In response, Harry simply rolled his eyes and continued his work. Half an hour later, Ginny returned to the common room with a napkin full of food and a shamefaced expression. She didn't say a word to Harry for the rest of the night.

/

The lights of the Potions classroom flickered gently as the students took their seats the next morning. Draco Malfoy pushed the sleeves of his robes to his elbows before he sat down. His eyes fell on Harry pulling a scroll of parchment out of his book bag. He couldn't deny his relief that the Weaslette was behind them a year. The last thing Draco needed was to see them displaying their fondness for each other while he worked.

"Stop where you are. You won't need to find your partners. I will be choosing them for you." Snape's cold voice rang out all of a sudden. Everyone hesitantly stopped what they were doing and stared up at the chalk board at the front of the classroom. Snape flicked his wand and the word 'distraction' appeared scrawled in white chalk.

"Today I will be testing your ability to work amongst distractions; therefore you will be splitting up into factions of two, one Slytherin student and one Gryffindor student to each." Snape began, "Now don't get excited. It is guaranteed your partner will not be a friend."

Draco's heart beat in his throat. He was going to be paired with Harry. Snape knew they hated each other. It was the only solution that made sense. He closed his fist so tight that his knuckles became white.

"Let's begin with you, Miss Granger. You will be paired with Miss Bulstrode and there will be no smart remarks or I will have you in detention. Next – "

Although Snape continued pairing people, Harry had tuned all sound out and did not hear him. He would have to spend an entire hour with Malfoy. Who knew what kind of embarrassing things he would do this time? He cursed under his breath at the memory of their last encounter. Draco probably thought he was a complete knob, and now so did Ginny. He could hear his pulse in his ears, waiting in anticipation for his name to be called.

"- Mister Finnigan will be paired with Mister Goyle, Mister Thomas will be paired with Mister Crabbe, Mister Potter –"

Harry's heart stopped. He dreaded the next words, but he knew they were inevitable. His eyes closed instinctively as he waited to hear Malfoy's name.

"-will be paired with Miss Parkinson, Mister Weasley will be paired with Mister Malfoy, and Miss Brown will be paired with Mister Zabini. You may turn to Chapter Six and begin."

Harry's heart fell to his feet. Even as the class bustled around to their new positions, he remained still. How could Snape have paired him with Pansy? It was wrong, it was illogical, it was... inconceivable that Harry was so disappointed. It wasn't as though he _wanted_ to be paired with Malfoy, so why was he so upset?

"Alright, Potter, let's make this quick. I don't need you wasting my afternoon in detention." Pansy sneered as she approached his table. She crossly put down her books and seated herself, looking almost as upset over the pairing as Harry felt. He allowed himself to glance at Malfoy's table, where he and Ron were already arguing over their robes. Harry couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if Draco was criticizing _his_ robes instead. It was unreasonable and humiliating, but there was no denying it: Harry was jealous of Ron.


End file.
